Have you ever looked at a photograph and felt inexplicably drawn into it? You have a feeling of standing in the scene, but you are not quite sure how you got there. Then the chances are your eyes may have been invited to follow some leading lines that guided you into the photograph.
Leading lines help to create a sense of depth and can give the image dimension. The leading lines may guide you directly to the subject in the photograph, or they may take your eyes right out of the photograph altogether. Either way, they keep your eyes moving and exploring the photograph!
Images with leading lines in them usually have a strong visual impact, so keep an eye out for them when you next set out to with your camera. There are man-made leading lines like fences, roads, railroad tracks, lines painted on the roads, paths, tire marks, buildings, bricks etc. Leading lines are also all around us in nature in the form of rivers, rocks, mountains, sun rays, shorelines, sea waves, ripples in the sand, sand dunes, trees, etc.
Leading lines can be straight or curvy. They can be parallel lines that lead to a vanishing point, or they can be curvy like the simple s-curve of a path or a meandering stream.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
All images are my own work, and may be found on various stock and art sites online!
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Your assignment for Lesson 5 is to take a good look at some of the images you have on file, and pick out the ones that have good leading lines. Better yet, grab your camera and go find some leading lines to photograph. Don't forget to add the tag #photography101 if you would like to have your images critiqued by myself and your peers!
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Other posts in this series:
Introductory Post With Rules
Lesson 1
Lesson 1 Challenge
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Thanks for taking the time to read this! I appreciate it.
To check out my art prints and stock images online, please visit my website.